[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 21, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1674-E1675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMENDING THE SERVICE OF JUDGE LACY THORNBURG TO WESTERN NORTH 
                                CAROLINA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HEATH SHULER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 21, 2011

  Mr. SHULER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Judge Lacy Thornburg 
for more than fifty-five years of public service to our country and 
Western North Carolina.
  Judge Lacy Thornburg was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina 
in 1929. After

[[Page E1675]]

graduating from Huntersville High School, he served in the U.S. Army, 
graduated from Mars Hill College and received his law degree from The 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  Following his law school graduation in 1954, Judge Thornburg and his 
wife moved to Jackson County, North Carolina where he began a law 
practice with former Congressman David Hall. He became active in 
church, civic, and political affairs, holding offices in the 
Presbyterian Church, the Jaycees, the Lions, and the Young Democrats.
  During Judge Thornburg's thirteen years as a practicing trial lawyer, 
he was elected to three terms in the North Carolina General Assembly. 
He was appointed as a Superior Court Judge in 1966 and served on the 
bench for sixteen years. Through his hard work and respect for others, 
Judge Thornburg was elected Attorney General of North Carolina in 
November of 1984 and served two four-year terms. As Attorney General, 
he personally argued three cases before the United States Supreme 
Court: Riley v. National Federal of the Blind in 1988, N.C. Department 
of Transportation v. Crest St. Council in 1986, and Thornburg v. 
Gingles in 1986.
  In 1994, President Bill Clinton nominated Judge Thornburg as U.S. 
District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina and he was 
confirmed by the 104th Congress on January 11, 1995. He served with 
distinction on the federal bench until his retirement in 2009.
  It is an honor to represent selfless, hardworking public servants 
like Judge Lacy Thornburg. His devotion to public service is a great 
source of pride to me and to Western North Carolina. I ask my 
colleagues to join me today in recognizing Judge Lacy Thornburg for his 
lasting impact on Western North Carolina.

                          ____________________